1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a rear view mirror for motor vehicles, in particular for commercial vehicles, comprising a housing, a mirror glass support supported by means of a pivot joint disposed in the housing to be pivotable relative to the housing, and a mirror glass disposed on the mirror glass support.
2. Background Art
A rear view mirror of the generic type is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,609,014. In this case, a pivot bearing in the form of an articulation ball fixed to the housing is disposed in the housing of the mirror, a substantially plate-shaped mirror glass support pivotally lodging on the articulation ball by means of a corresponding universal ball joint. A mirror glass is fixed on the mirror glass support and is adjustable by pivoting the mirror glass support relative to the housing.
In the prior art rear view mirror, a servomotor is provided between the mirror glass support and the housing, coupled to the mirror glass support by way of a spindle drive, which ensures a remote controlled pivotal adjustment of the mirror glass support and consequently of the mirror glass in relation to the housing.
In this prior art rear view mirror it is of disadvantage that the servomotor is disposed deep inside the housing between the latter's rear and the mirror glass support. As a result, the mounting of the servomotor is difficult and the rear view mirror offers little in terms of convenience of repair, for instance in the case of a defect of the servomotor, since the entire mirror glass support must be detached, which is accompanied by the release of the pivot joint union and the spindle drive coupling.
Further, the construction disclosed in the afore-mentioned U.S. patent is not fit to be used as a simple version without the servomotor. For, as a result of its structure, the pivot joint is comparatively unstable so that the spindle drive coupled with the servomotor is needed for additional stabilization of the mirror glass support.